Main Holidays in India and Philippines in April

Vaisakhi Holiday

Vaisakhi is also called Baisakhi. This harvest celebration takes place annually and harvesters celebrate and rejoice about the New Year and the harvested crops in India. However, there was added meaning to the celebration in 1699 when the Khalsa Panth (type of religious warrior) organization was established during the Vaisakhi Festival.

The 10th Guru Gobind Singh asked who in a crowd of thousands was prepared to die for the cause of religion. Eventually, five men volunteered to give their lives but the Guru Gobind Singh did not kill the men. Instead, he baptized them and the men became the first five members of a group called Khalsa. The tradition of Sikh baptism during the Vaisakhi festival originated from this historic event, as reported by Timeanddate.

Black Saturday in Philippines

In the Philippines, this day is a special non-working day and is legally known in English as Black Saturday, marks the colour's role in mourning. Holy Saturday is the day after Good Friday and may also be known as Black Saturday, White Saturday, Easter Eve, Vigil of Easter. Note that it may also be called Easter Sunday, though from a religious perspective Easter Saturday is the Saturday after Easter Sunday.

Holy Saturday is the last day of Holy Week and in the Western church, it can fall between March 21st and April 24th. This day, sometimes known as the Eve of Easter, marks the full day when Jesus' body lay in the tomb after his crucifixion on Good Friday and before his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Dating back to the early days of the Christian Church, this day was a popular day for baptisms. Because of the solemnity of the day, few services are held on this day. However, rituals that can help with salvation for the dying such as baptism were allowed. Some parts of the church such as the Anglicans still hold baptismal services on Holy Saturday.

A less common name for this day is the Descent into Hell, as in some Christian traditions it commemorates Jesus' descent into and victory over hell.

An Easter Vigil often takes place in the evening of Holy Saturday recalling the vigil that Jesus' followers observed after his crucifixion on Good Friday. Sometimes known as Paschal Vigil, this service is held as a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Vigil often begins with the church into darkness; all candles are put out on Maundy Thursday.

The minister enters the church, bearing a Paschal candle (a special candle that symbolizes the body of Jesus), accompanied by the chant "The light of Christ" to which the assembly responds "Thanks be to God". After blessing the Paschal candle, the rest of the candles in the church are then lit from the Paschal candle, and the church is illuminated by light, as reported by Officeholidays.